Governors you have appointed act as dictators: Kharge slams Modi govt

The Congress on Thursday (February 8) released a "black paper" to highlight the "failures" of the Narendra Modi government, flagging issues such as unemployment, price rise and "farmers' distress".

The release of the ‘black paper’ titled ‘10 Saal Anyay Kaal’ by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge comes ahead of the government’s tabling in Parliament of a ‘white paper’ on the “mismanagement” of the economy prior to 2014 with an aim to draw lessons.

Raising the government vs governor clash in non-BJP ruled states, Kharge accused the Centre of using governors to create hurdles in governance and toppling elected governments.

"The governors you have appointed act as dictators in states where there are non-BJP governments. There only job is to either create hurdles for governance by withholding files, consent to laws or help in toppling governments,” he said.

Kharge also responded to Modi’s dig at him during the latter’s address in Parliament on Wednesday.

“The other day, after Prime Minister Modi spoke in Parliament and made some comments about me, I got phone calls from some people who abused me. I have filed a police complaint... this is standard practice of the BJP to intimidate Opposition leaders, especially those who speak up... I want to tell them, I am not one to get scared. You are trying to scare a person who has seen it all. Only two members of my family – my father and I – had survived (referring to the killing of his mother and sister by the Razakars when he was a child).”

“I have now lived to be 83 years old. I have spent over 50 years in politics, been a minister in the state for 20 years, minister at the Centre for 10 years, Leader of Opposition in the state for many years, LoP in Parliament for 8 years and still my public life is unblemished, but they want to defame me, indirectly influence people to abuse me. This is what they are doing to an 83-year-old person from the Scheduled Castes who has never been accused of any wrongdoing in a public life of over 50 years. I will not be intimidated, I will keep fighting them, keep raising issues of the public," Kharge said.

Reacting to Modi’s accusation that Congress has created a ‘north-south divide,’ Kharge such statements were coming from a person who “engineered riots in the past”.

“A man who engineered riots in the past, who incited violence through his speeches, who has always tried to divide the country is today accusing Congress of creating a north-south divide,” he said.

Kharge said Modi talks of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi when asked about price rise but “they are ruling now and they should answer what they have done”.

“It was Modi's guarantee to provide 2 crore jobs and ensure MSP to farmers and now the prime minister should say he could not do it, but instead he has come up with new guarantees,” he said.

Kharge said the Congress ensured India's independence and in 2024, it will take the country out of the BJP's "darkness of injustice".